'It must become faceless, just as the entire direct tax assessment system has already become fully online, without any human intervention in the normal course,' recommends A K Bhattacharya.
The Delhi High Court has directed the GST Council to consider lowering or abolishing the goods and services tax on air purifiers, citing worsening air quality in the national capital. The court has asked the council to meet at the earliest, even via video conference if necessary, to address the issue.
India's luxury auto market is rebounding after a slow start to 2025, with GST 2.0 emerging as the main catalyst.
Election-related freebies and populist measures are other factors crimping the revenue profile of these states.
The Enforcement Directorate conducted fresh searches against Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora and others allegedly linked to him as part of a money laundering investigation.
Automobile manufacturers have informed NITI Aayog that they face significant challenges in tracing 20-25-year-old vehicles due to multiple ownership changes, hindering their ability to meet Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) targets for end-of-life vehicles (ELVs). They are seeking government support, including access to updated Vahan registration records, to locate these vehicles and encourage owners to use authorised scrapping centres.
Mumbai is set to host a friendly cricket match between GST, Customs officers, and actors to promote fitness and sportsmanship, organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora in connection with a money laundering case involving alleged fake GST purchases and round-tripping of funds. Raids were conducted at multiple locations, and Arora was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This follows previous actions against Arora and other politically connected individuals in Punjab.
'This is not a case of tax evasion but the result of long-standing ambiguities in GST rules and unawareness.'
The Enforcement Directorate conducted fresh searches against Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora and others allegedly linked to him as part of a money laundering investigation. Raids were carried out at multiple locations, including Arora's residence and business premises, following a new case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Union Cabinet applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for becoming India's longest continuously serving elected Prime Minister, surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru's record. Modi first took office in 2014, was re-elected in 2019, and began his third consecutive term in June 2024.
The remarkable rise of smallcaps reflects the emergence of a broad set of specialised businesses operating in industries where the sectoral tailwinds remain considerably stronger than macroeconomic headwinds, points out Debashis Basu.
Despite a sharp increase in import duties on gold and silver to 15 per cent, the precious metals are trading at significant discounts in the domestic market, with gold seeing discounts of up to $200 an ounce and silver up to $6 an ounce.
Taxpayers should reconcile returns with AIS, Form 26AS and maintain all supporting records.
Festive buying spree unleashed by lower tax rates pushed gross GST collection to about Rs 1.96 lakh crore in October, registering a 4.6 per cent year-on-year growth -- the slowest rate so far this fiscal.
Indian cricket fans, who love turning up for IPL matches across the country, will have to shell out more for tickets next season with government raising the Goods and Services Tax.
Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora has been sent to judicial custody for two weeks in connection with an alleged Rs 100-crore money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate produced Arora before the court after completing his extended remand. The minister's next court appearance is scheduled for June 1st.
With duties at 15%, GST at 3%, and making charges running as high as 20% -- the gap between a smart purchase and a careless one can easily be Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 on every Rs 1 lakh invested. And most of that gap is entirely avoidable. Ramalingam Kalirajan explains the math.
Police in Kanpur have arrested a suspected mastermind behind a network of fake firms, forged documents, and suspected hawala transactions worth over Rs 3,200 crore.
The Punjab government has redistributed portfolios held by arrested minister Sanjeev Arora among other cabinet members, including Aman Arora, Harjot Singh Bains, and Tarunpreet Singh Sond.
Major life insurers in India reported close to double-digit growth in the value of new business (VNB) last financial year, primarily driven by increased sales of high-margin protection and non-participating (non-par) products.
These changes certainly bring India's GST a lot closer to what an ideal GST would look like, points out Karan Bhasin.
Since the Indian government reduced GST on small cars on September 22, the small car segment's share in Maruti's overall sales has risen to more than 25 per cent, up from 16.6 per cent earlier in FY26.
The Indian central government has reduced its total expenditure by approximately 60,000 crore in FY26, below its revised estimate, to successfully achieve the fiscal deficit target of 4.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the latest data from the Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
'The market is still very bullish. The demand is so strong that for eight models, we have no units in our factories to dispatch to dealers,' said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer, marketing & sales, Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL).
'In the January-August period, the share of hatchback in the overall PV industry sales was about 22.4 per cent. In the September-October period, the share of hatchbacks has come down to 20.4 per cent. In just October, their share was just 20 per cent. This is simple wholesale data from industry body SIAM.'
The exemption of individual life and health insurance premiums from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) enables the insurance industry to make products affordable and attractive, said Ajay Seth, chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit 2025.
Delhi Police busted an interstate liquor smuggling racket that used cartons labelled as 'wood polish' to transport liquor to Bihar. One person has been arrested, and the syndicate is being investigated under organised crime provisions.
'Growth will definitely continue to come most from the sub-four-metre SUV segment, primarily because that is where the heart of economy and affordability is. Naturally, that will keep pushing the share of that segment (in overall PV sales) higher.'
After issuing notices to hotels across the country for allegedly underpaying goods and services tax (GST) on restaurant services, the revenue department has now widened its scrutiny by seeking information from online travel platforms.
India's leading passenger vehicle manufacturers are significantly increasing investments and factory capacities, alongside planning major product launches for FY27, driven by strong confidence in sustained domestic demand growth despite global geopolitical tensions and supply chain risks.
The government is finalising a major GST overhaul with automated refunds, pre-filled returns, and analytics-based scrutiny to simplify compliance and boost liquidity for MSMEs.
The World Bank has increased India's economic growth projection for FY27 to 6.6 per cent, citing resilient domestic demand, while simultaneously cutting its global economic growth outlook due to the conflict in West Asia.
The Indian government has marginally exceeded its indirect tax collection target for fiscal year 2025-26, with strong performances in customs, excise, and GST revenues.
'Ek baar aap GST dekh lo!' - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gentle nudge to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in December last year sparked the beginning of a mammoth exercise to overhaul the tangled goods and services tax regime. And the final outcome is a significantly simplified system with lower tax rates and easier compliance for businesses.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora has challenged his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), claiming it is illegal and unconstitutional. The Punjab and Haryana High Court heard arguments and adjourned the matter to May 14. Arora was arrested in connection with an alleged Rs 100-crore GST fraud-linked money laundering case.
A school teacher in Ajmer was defrauded of Rs 3.66 lakh by cyber criminals who lured her with a fake online offer to buy a rare Rs 5 note for Rs 48 lakh.
Since items in the 12% category account for only about 5% of total GST, the additional boost to consumption may not be significant, points out M Govinda Rao.
Amazon India unveiled a dedicated marketplace section highlighting products with reduced tax burdens as the goods and services tax (GST) restructuring took effect on September 22, positioning the ecommerce giant to capitalise on lower consumer prices across electronics, appliances, and other categories. Its rival Flipkart, too, has rolled out its own GST-focused storefront, the GST Bachat Utsav, aimed at helping shoppers maximise benefits from the new tax rates across multiple categories.
Notwithstanding global headwinds, the Indian economy saw further momentum in October on the back of goods and services tax (GST) rate rationalisation and festival spending, as indicated by high-frequency indicators, the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) monthly State of the Economy report said.
